


Kallistos

by FunnyLittleOwl



Series: home is wherever i'm with you [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, First Dance, Frolicking on the beach, Greece, Honeymoon, Intense late night conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage doesn't make your problems disappear, Santorini, Social Media, Stubble!Victor, Tourists, Victor and Yuuri decide an intervention is in order, Wedding Night, World Travel, so much miscommunication, wedding party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:07:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunnyLittleOwl/pseuds/FunnyLittleOwl
Summary: “Well, I know what we should do about it,” Victor announced, straightening up. “We’re going to play a game.”“Now?”“Our whole lives, I’m thinking, if you don’t mind.” Victor clarified, to Yuuri’s sudden perplexity. “We’ll call it ‘The Game of Uncomfortable Truths’. This is how it goes: whenever one of us needs to confess something the other might be upset or even oblivious about, we do this,” Victor gestured simply with his hand.“We cross our hearts?” Yuuri asked. "Why?"(In which there are many communication issues, Yuuri is a reluctant runaway bride, Victor is not excited about growing older and they make unexpected friends during their intense honeymoon in Greece.)





	Kallistos

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is your captain speaking and we're all going down with this ship, but there's no need for panic.
> 
> Our journey continues onto Santorini, Greece, and it's their honeymoon at last. This is a lot longer than I expected, but previous reading of the series is not required to understand this part. 
> 
> I highly recommend you to listen to the song linked in the text while you read a scene toward the end of the story. It makes for an even more emotional experience.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this piece!

 

Yuuri wondered – not for the first time – how exactly he got himself into this situation.

He was in a… ferry? Yep, he was definitely in a ferry boat, and a creaky one at that. Yuuri cautiously peeked through a tiny window and saw only darkness and water surrounding him from all sides. His watch provided that it was five in the morning and he was wide awake. _What the hell?_

There were noises. A few strange men wandered around yelling at each other, their footsteps echoing in the wooded floors. Yuuri couldn’t make out what they were saying. He didn’t care in the slightest, either way, because there was clearly a bigger issue going on here.

His left shoe was currently missing.

Yuuri blinked.

He was in a ferry at five in the morning and he was wide awake. There were foreign men lifting cargo in the corner of the wide room. He was wearing _very_ uncomfortable clothes.

The ferry then rattled furiously, shaking the ground like it was gonna turn over, and Yuuri was sure he was going to be sick.

This wasn’t how he envisioned his day would go when he woke up the last morning.

He was getting married. To Victor, the love of his life. It would be a beautiful ceremony, an early summer wedding, while the flowers were still in full bloom and carefully matching their suits and ties. The floral arrangements were stunning – Yuuri _knew_ , because he had picked them out himself. He didn’t even get to _see_ the flowers being delivered to their reception party, they were a _surprise_.

And his _shoe_ was missing.

Yuuri grieved the loss of his precious night that never got a chance to be. Even the ferry seemed to take pity on him on that moment, swaying softly for a couple minutes as if cradling an inconsolable infant. He had dreamed about this very night for many countless months: he and Victor would say their vows under a starry sky, drink champagne with all of their friends and dance until the first morning light, when they would go home and make love and it would have been _the perfect night, dammit._

But _no_ , now he was here on this freaking ferry alone with his thoughts and every single bone in his body ached – and most of the muscles too, he was so tired.

Carefully, Yuuri managed to snatch his phone back from the pockets of the sleeping man in front of him, but he knew it was to no avail. He checked his messages, only to find out there was no reception to reply to any of them or call anyone back.

He was still unreachable and mostly lost. Also, in the middle of the sea.

Calmly, Yuuri tried to assess his situation like it was happening to someone else. He was _calm._ Calmness personified. He breathed deeply, in and out.

Yuuri was fucking _zen_ as he stared at the chain of events that led him here to this ferry, eternalized by a drunken exchange of texts with his friend Phichit only the night before.

It read:

**Phichit:** yuuri bring more champagne on your way back 

**Phichit:**  you see, i just remembered that one time i caught you doing that thing to victor’s body pillow in our dorm ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Phichit:** and i can’t BELIEVE I forgot to include that story in my best man speech (I HAD ONE JOB)

**Phichit:** SO im asking everyone to stop dancing and sit down again

**Phichit:** i just need you and your husband back to begin (◕ω◕✿)

**Phichit:** where are u two btw

**Phichit:** victor said you were just gonna meet with the buffet staff. what’s taking you so long??

 

**Yuuri:** phichit i think im being kidnapped

**Phichit:** WHAT

**Phichit:** STAY CALM YUURI

**Phichit:** IM CALLING THE POLICE

**Phichit:** WHERE ARE YOU KEEP TALKING TO ME CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING

 

**Yuuri:** im near the airport i think

**Yuuri:** wait victor is confiscating my ph

 

**Phichit:** ………

**Phichit:** yuuri.

**Phichit:** are u being kidnapped… by your husband?

**Phichit:** in the middle of your wedding party?

**Phichit:** YUURI

**Phichit:** FINE.

**Phichit:** have fun on your honeymoon. we’ll be ok.

**Phichit:** but MAN, the things I have to put up with in this friendship, srsly.

**Phichit:** you two are absolutely ridic

**Phichit:** you’ll at least send me a postcard, right?

**Phichit:** you know what, you ungrateful brat, i’m making that speech either way

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Victooor, why do you do this to me?” Yuuri shook the sleeping man awake.

“What, baby?” Victor replied, instantly alert like they were under attack.

“We left the party too early and now I have motion sickness?” Yuuri whined, not caring if he didn’t make any sense. “Also, have you seen my shoe?”

“But, Yuuri, we’re in _Greece_.” Victor said, like that solved any of his problems. “And how is it possible you’re still drunk after so long?”

“I’m not drunk, I’m _stressed_.” Yuuri pointed out, sprawling back into the small cushioned booth they were sharing. “We didn’t even get to dance! I had a surprise for you, there was a van coming with blue flower crowns to deliver to all the guests and then there was a musical number Yurio helped me with…”

“A musical number?” Victor’s eyes widened.

“… and it’s all ruined now,” Yuuri kept babbling, “Everyone is probably thinking we sneaked out to have sex, but actually, you sneaked me up on a _plane_ to _Athens_ and now we’re on a ferry from the nineteen hundreds in the middle of nowhere, and this would be hilarious if I wasn’t so nauseated…”

“Shhhh, _solnyshko_ , it’s okay,” Victor shushed, gripping his hand firmly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It was hard to keep this a surprise. I… I didn’t know you felt so strongly about the party? From the beginning we planned it as a small affair, didn’t we? I suppose I assumed… our focus was always on the honeymoon part. We never actually discussed it, but you know how I get excited making travel plans… I thought you knew something like this would probably be coming.”

“After the party, not _during_ ,” Yuuri complained meekly, turning to his side to face the wall. His nausea worsened at the change of positions. “I’m so mad at you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh my God, Victor, you’re ridiculous,” Yuuri let out a pained laugh and covered his face with a trembling hand. “We spent our wedding night squeezed in an airplane seat.”

“I know, I know, I said I’m sorry,” Victor hushed softly as if comforting a baby. “If it’s any consolation to you, your family has been properly warned and is flying safely back to Japan as we speak. Chris said he had the party under control and no one was upset with us, everyone had fun.”

Yuuri sighed deeply and that immediately sent his head spinning.

He took a moment to reconsider his behavior, though. Here he was, on the first day of their marriage, being an inconsiderable jerk to Victor, his goofy husband who just wanted to surprise him and had planned a runaway honeymoon to the Greek islands all by himself – but not without making sure he informed Yuuri’s mother beforehand. He _knew_ she worried so much.

“Do you forgive me?” Victor hesitated.  

Oh _no_ , Yuuri didn’t deserve him.

“I’ll think about it if you find me my shoe?” Yuuri replied in a low voice, embarrassment creeping in his features. “I don’t know what happened to it, I must have blacked out when we got in.” 

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” Victor conceded, standing up to go looking for the thing. Yuuri regretted his request instantly at the loss of Victor’s warmth next to him.

_This isn’t going well_ , Yuuri’s anxiety provided.

He was still a bit angry, sure, because he was exhausted and threatening to vomit every few seconds, but that didn’t mean he was allowed to lash out on Victor like that.

He _had_ gotten into that plane willingly, even if he was a little drunk, and his problems had really only started when Victor announced they were continuing their trip via ferry boat, right after landing in Greek soil in the small hours of the morning.

It turned out he meant they were taking the ferry _right away_ , because he had been reliably informed the best time to travel was just before sunrise, since the trip was almost six hours long.

So that’s when Yuuri started to get a little pissed, but kept quiet about it and decided to rest once they were inside the boat. Which, unsurprisingly, did not happen, and not after long Yuuri was already starting to feel heavy with the tide waves swaying the room back and forth in the eerie silence of a commercial boat at five in the bloody morning. It wasn’t fair that Victor could be sleeping so peacefully through this.

He wasn’t being snappy for nothing, was he? Victor was also partially to blame for his mood, right? Yuuri had the right to feel bothered by their less-than-perfect transport arrangements, especially when he was feeling physically affected by the decision he wasn’t even included in the first place.

_Okay, calm down,_ Yuuri told his anxiety, hoping this time it would listen. _We’re married now_ , he tested the words on his mind. _I’m married to Victor Nikiforov and we just had our first argument as a married couple. This is completely normal and totally a thing that married couples do. We’re going to talk through this and we’re going to be fine. I shouldn't worry about screwing up so badly, because it’s harder for him to get rid of me now. Right?_

Silence.

_I’m going crazy on this freaking boat._

Yuuri opened his eyes that he didn’t realize had been closed all this time. _That explains the shapes and all those bright colors swimming in my camp of vision, I think._

He found Victor wobbling his way back through the corridor, conversing excitedly with a sailor person. He carried a black shoe on his hand and Yuuri thought he could cry.

_He found my shoe._

“Victor,” he called out with a strained voice. “T-thank you.”

“Yuuri, are you okay?” Victor rushed to kneel in front of him, checking his forehead for a fever.

“I’m not feeling so good.”

“What do you need?”

“Just… come here? Please?” Yuuri asked quietly.  “But could you please put the shoe back on my foot first?”

“Yes, of course,” Victor answered readily, but there was a desperate edge to his movements even as he tied Yuuri’s laces carefully gentle. “It slid away when the tide was high and it ended up almost reaching the deck. Does it feel better now?”

“It does,” Yuuri breathed. “It _does_. Thank you.”

Yuuri was definitely feeling fine again with the shoe back in his foot and everything in the place where they should be. _I’m good_ , he told himself.

_It’s okay now._

Victor returned to his former position on top of their booth, holding Yuuri’s hand, but not pressing anymore closer, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed right now.

“Victor, I’m sorry I snapped at you.” Yuuri said with a tight smile. “I’m not _mad_ , I’m just really tired. You’re trying your best for me and I appreciate it… I’m sorry I acted like an ungrateful ass. I’m so happy to be here with you.”

“Baby, it’s okay, I’m the one who’s sorry,” Victor brushed a strand of Yuuri’s hair away from his forehead. “I didn’t even stop to consider… and now you’re feeling overwhelmed and I hate it when I’m being insensitive to you without realizing.”

“It’s okay.”

Yuuri snuggled closer to him, unhappy with the distance between their bodies. He was feeling calmer by the second.

“We’re married,” Yuuri provided uselessly after a few minutes.

“Yes, we are.”

“No, I mean, Victor, we’re _married_ ,” Yuuri’s eyes widened like he just now considered the weight of the golden rings in their hands.

“Please don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”

“No!” Yuuri almost yelled. “No, I’m not panicking, really… I’m just wondering, you know, what happens next.”

Victor chuckled in relief, tightening his hold on Yuuri’s hand.

“Very simple,” he said, “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Casually, his husband draped his arms and legs around Yuuri, like a human octopus.

“Now, we just stay with each other like this for the rest of our lives.”

Yuuri laughed hard at his comment and just like that… he felt the last shred of his anxiety melt away.

“Yeah?” he probed fondly. “And what if I need to go to the bathroom?”

“It’s fine, as long as you book it two hours in advance and get Makkachin ready for the swap.”

“Is that what I am to you?” Yuuri teased. “Your legally bound blanket and live-in pillow?”

“Ah, you caught me,” Victor sighed in exasperation, but his kiss lingered on Yuuri’s temple for a lot longer than necessary.

It was a timid apology disguised as mere casual affection, the Victor Nikiforov way of making things better.

They’ve been together for almost two and a half years now, if you started counting it from the moment the Russian had showed up in Yu-topia’s hot springs and offered to be Yuuri’s coach. If you wanted to start counting it from somewhere else in their timeline, though, you also could: it was barely a year and five months ago that they had entered an official, committed relationship to each other. _That would make for confusing anniversaries,_ Yuuri considered distantly.

Either way, through good and bad, sickness and health, victory and defeat, Yuuri could not recall a single instance in their time together where one of them shied away when the other was feeling less than emotionally alright. _Fine, maybe once or twice._ That aside, it was pretty much second nature to Victor to just know when Yuuri needed the extra physical reassurance about their relationship.

Yuuri wished he didn’t feel the tiniest bit guilty for that.

“Vitya,” he started carefully, “Will you promise me something?”

Victor’s head perked up so he could let Yuuri know he was giving him his full attention. Yuuri’s heart always skipped a beat or two whenever he did that.

“I don’t want us to be one of those couples who fight in the supermarket,” Yuuri admitted softly. “We need to be able to communicate better… be more aware of each other’s needs, especially now. I don’t want us to argue over misunderstandings. I’m not saying we shouldn’t argue _ever_ , but… do you get what I mean?”

“I think so,” Victor agreed. “It kills me, Yuuri, when I catch myself fighting with you over stupid things.”

“It kills _you_?” Yuuri challenged with a hint of a joke. “I literally _cannot breathe_.”

“I don’t see how this is a competition you’d be interested in winning,” Victor poked the tip of his nose.

“It’s not.”

“Well, I know what we should do about it,” Victor announced, straightening up. “We’re going to play a game.”

“Now?”

“Our whole lives, I’m thinking, if you don’t mind.” Victor clarified, to Yuuri’s sudden perplexity.

_What’s he on about now?_

“We’ll call it ‘The Game of Uncomfortable Truths’. This is how it goes: whenever one of us needs to confess something the other might be upset or even oblivious about, we do this,” Victor gestured simply with his hand.

“We cross our hearts?” Yuuri asked.

“We cross our hearts and declare our truths. But when we do that, it’s a _sacred_ gesture – the other person can’t judge, laugh or argue back at the admission. They can only ask questions until they feel like they understand what the other really means and where they’re coming from.”

“Okay,” Yuuri pondered that for a second, “So basically we get a green card to insult each other and get away with it?”

“I wasn’t looking it from that angle, but I guess that’s on the table too,” Victor frowned. “But we should play it wisely. I was actually thinking it would help us confess things we might feel awkward saying otherwise.”

“So, like,” Yuuri continued, “It doesn’t have to be weird if it’s part of a game?”

“Something like that,” Victor said, “We don’t have to do it all the time, but if we do it, it’s because it’s a mutual agreement. It’s a safe space and we can be honest as much as we want.”

“Understood,” Yuuri replied in Russian, like he got a habit of doing over time. “Well, we can try.”

Victor’s eyes shined at that.

“Can I start?”

“It was your idea, so it’s only fair,” Yuuri smiled, propping his head on his chin.

“Okay,” Victor said, staring at Yuuri intently while he crossed his heart with his right hand. “You don’t understand how overjoyed I am that you’re making an effort to learn Russian in your free time.”

“Is that your confession?”

“It makes me happy, because… sometimes my brain gets tired from speaking English all the time.”

“Oh?” Yuuri let out in surprise.

“I know you like to think I’m a show-off when it comes to my language skills, but I actually haven’t got the same experience you do with English, what with living in America for so long your brain doesn’t even register it anymore. I grew up with French as my second language because of _grandmère_ , like I told you _._ It was only much later I realized I needed to be fluent in English as well, but sometimes I still feel like I’m not that comfortable expressing myself fully with it.”

“I… didn’t know that.” Yuuri muttered, unsure of how to feel in face of that admission.

“It changed after I met you, of course,” Victor was quick to reply, “It’s the language we share in common and I’m so grateful it brought us together, but… sometimes, when I wake up, I just feel like speaking in my native tongue. And now I can, because I know you’ll understand. Even now, the fact that I can drop Russian words in conversation makes me feel so much more relaxed about conveying what I mean.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just try speaking Russian to you more often, then?” Yuuri hesitantly offered with a smile.

“I would love that, yes.” Victor smiled back brightly.

“You know I only don’t do it more because I’m embarrassed by my pronunciation,” Yuuri blushed. “Not because I don’t understand.”

“I imagined that, but I wasn’t sure,” Victor said. “You have nothing to worry about, though. I love your accent. It’s so cute.”

“It’s not, it’s _atrocious_ ,” Yuuri denied promptly. “But you speak conversational Japanese so well by this point, of course I would like to reciprocate. I’m just glad no once can hear us talking to each other at home, because we sound absolutely crazy,” he laughed.

“And that’s without throwing French into the mix,” Victor pointed out amused, most likely thinking of all the dirty talk he did sometimes that made Yuuri’s hair shiver at the back of his nape.

“You know, it’s not so bad,” Yuuri said absent-mindedly, “This game you invented. I could see us going through with it. Especially if it means I get to learn more about you – what makes you happy, what bothers you. I value that so much, Vitya.”

“I _do_ always have the best ideas,” Victor boasted, earning him a flick across his face.

“Cocky much?” Yuuri mocked, only out of a sense of obligation to keep his champion grounded. It really _was_ a good idea. Victor was actually pretty observant when he put his focus into it. He wasn’t insensitive, he was just… easily distracted. Perhaps this was a good solution to their communication problems, after all.

“Can I try?”

“Of course, go on, _solnyshko_ ,” Victor encouraged.

Yuuri crossed his heart dramatically.

“Could you please _never_ try to cook again for as long as we live?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just… I know you think you’re being cooperative, Vitya, but… let’s just say cooking is _definitely_ not one of your many talents? Whenever you attempt to make us dinner, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I always lock Makkachin away in the office so he won’t accidentally grab a bite and choke again.”

“But… but I thought you loved my cooking!” Victor whined very loudly.

“I… really don’t?” Yuuri laughed, “I’m sorry, love, it’s just so bad… I’m not sure how a person can screw up scrambled eggs that hard. Just… let me handle all the cooking from now on, okay? I promise I don’t mind.”

“Yuuri, this game is showing me sides of you I don’t think I’m ready to face,” Victor draped himself across the booth with an expression of utter misery.

“Hey, you did set the rules,” Yuuri reminded, nudging him sweetly on the arm. “I’m saving us from a horrible death by food poisoning, you should be thankful.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever recover from such a _ghastly_ betrayal by my dearest beloved,” he went on.

“You’re not supposed to be making it this difficult,” Yuuri censored, gradually coming to straddle his husband’s lap, “I handled your confession so much more gracefully, you know.”

“You did,” Victor replied in a smooth voice, dropping the act at once. “It’s one of the many things I love about you. You always take me seriously.”

“Well, _you_ don’t,” Yuuri tried to complain weakly, but was interrupted by a very persistent yawn that slowly but surely took hold of his entire body.

He was _tired._

“Oh, but I do, _solnyshko_ ,” Yuuri felt the warmth of Victor’s lips whispering on the top of his head, “I take you _so_ seriously all the time, I could marry you.”

“You already have.” Yuuri mumbled, with his eyes already closed.

“I am certainly no idiot.” Victor said, tenderly kissing his hair. It was the last thing Yuuri heard before falling deeply asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, baby,” Victor whispered next to his ear, “Do you wanna go outside? The sun is rising.”

“Don’t wanna,” Yuuri managed, snuggling closer to the restless man beside him, “Am comfy.”

“But it’s so beautiful,” the Russian insisted, “I just want to take some pictures, then you go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” Yuuri conceded, slowly stretching like a lazy cat, “Guess I’m awake now.”

He made a move to grab his phone in the table, but Victor stopped him with a wicked grin. “I forgot to mention before,” he said, “But no phones allowed in our honeymoon.”

“What?” Yuuri frowned. “Is that a rule you just made up? Then how are we supposed to take the pictures, Victor?”

“On my camera, of course.”

“Since when do you have a camera… a Nikon, no less?”

“Photography is my secret passion,” Victor declared with a flourish. _What?_

“I’ve never seen you carry a camera before in our trips,” Yuuri eyed him, suspicious.

“It’s a recent development,” Victor almost sounded offended. “C’mon, Yuuri, it’ll be fun.”

Okay. So this whole “new hobby” thing was a bit strange, even by Victor standards – but Yuuri decided to let it go for now, it was too early. He made a mental note to ask what was up with that later. 

They walked without much difficulty to the deck, as it seemed they had finally reached calmer waters and the ferry felt a lot more stable to explore.

Even though it was already summer in Europe, the morning air was chilly outside and Yuuri regretted not bringing a coat to protect him from the insistent marine breeze. He needed to ask Victor again where he left their luggage.

The deck wasn’t too big and there were only a couple of other people out to have a smoke in the open, so Yuuri easily found a perfect spot to marvel at the view near the central railings.

He heard an indiscreet “click” coming from behind him.

“No, Yuuri, don’t turn around,” Victor said,” I’m taking a power pose shot of you.”

“Power pose?” Yuuri inquired confused, but complied anyway. He was unsure of what to do with his hands now that he knew he was being photographed, but in the end he just kept them where they were holding each side of the grid.

“ _Da,_ ” Victor said softly, “From this angle, you look like you could be Apollo.”

“The Greek god?”

Victor nodded. “The god of the Sun,” he completed.

Yuuri was sure his blush went all the way down to his chest.

“If either of us were to be a Greek god, Vitya, it would most surely not be me,” he mused.

Victor huffed and Yuuri knew his husband was shaking his head where he stood. Yuuri had learned early on in their relationship it was no use arguing with him when Victor wanted to praise him, especially his appearance. Yuuri didn’t get it, but he also didn’t fight it anymore.

“Are you done?” Yuuri called. “Come enjoy the view with me.”

“Yes, _solnyshko_ ,” Victor singsonged, coming to embrace him gleefully from behind. “My little sun.”

“You know you don’t have to keep hitting on me anymore,” Yuuri raised an eyebrow in amusement, “I’m pretty much a sure thing.”

“Oh, but that’s half the fun, Yuuri,” Victor kissed the side of his face.

“If you say so,” Yuuri said, relaxing against his husband’s broad chest.

They watched the sunrise together in silence. Yuuri almost didn’t mind the gentle sway of the waves and tried to focus on how strong and steady Victor felt, grounding him completely like the fixed north in a compass. It helped, but that nagging feeling remained.

“I’m actually really scared of the ocean.” Yuuri said quietly.

Victor’s bearing tensed immediately, his arms encircling Yuuri’s waist tighter. “No, no, not like that, I’m fine. We both grew up next to the water, so this is no news to me. It’s just… being _actually_ out in the ocean is so scary? I mean, when you look really far out you can kind of see how the Earth is rounded out. It looks like a few miles ahead you’re just gonna fall off or something.”

Victor chuckled lightly, resting his head on Yuuri’s shoulder so he could see exactly what he meant from that perspective.

“I think it’s exciting,” he said, “The promise of the unknown.”

“Of course you would,” Yuuri reproached, “You were probably, like, a pirate or something in a different life.”

“Can you imagine?” Victor laughed.

“I’d rather not, thanks.”

“If I were a pirate, then I wonder what you would have been,” Victor fantasized the scene in his head. “Oh, I know. I was a fearsome pirate, and _you_ were the beautiful dancer I met in my journeys to the East. History says you bewitched the captain’s mind with the way your body moved to the music. After a taste of you, it’s been said the great pirate retired from an ill-lived life of collecting meaningless gold medals. I mean, _coins_. Check any history book, you’ll know it’s true.”

Yuuri didn’t mean to laugh at the silly mental picture, but he did anyway. He could swear Victor was a nine year old boy sometimes. _No, that’s unfair_ , Yuuri corrected himself. The lengths that man went to distract Yuuri from munching over troubling thoughts… that was no child’s work and certainly no easy feat.

A pirate and a dancer. In their past lives.

Yuuri shook his head fondly.

_I said I was scared, didn’t I, so Victor tucked me in and told me a story. And it worked._  Yuuri did laugh so much at his narrative he stopped thinking about submarine monsters right away.

Yuuri was then forced to ask himself who the real boy was between them and the answer was, quite frankly, clear.

He supposed he didn’t give Victor enough credit for his special brand of perceptiveness toward him. The man was no fool, as flamboyant as he tried to appear to the rest of the world. He was simply _Victor,_ the biggest gift the universe had ever given Yuuri and had not yet taken away.

He would remember to not ever take it for granted.

“Do you think we would have known each other then?” Yuuri mused, resuming the older man’s over the top romantic ramblings. “Long ago, if we did live different lives away from the ice.”

“Oh, I’m sure we would have met then. I’m sure we’d still meet, regardless of any lives we’d lead in this world.” Victor said, more serious now. “To be honest with you – in any version of reality, anywhere in space and time – I think this is where you and I are always supposed to end up.”

“Stuck in a boat somewhere in international waters?”

“Together,” Victor provided hesitantly, pushing the younger man closer, “Making each other happy.”

Yuuri couldn’t pretend to be annoyed by Victor’s sappiness any more. He turned around and kissed him fiercely, grabbing the Russian’s face with both hands.

“You’re…”

“Ridiculous, I know.”

“Amazing,” Yuuri resumed. “You’re amazing.”

“What do you think about my theory then?” Victor tried.

“I… must say I’m inclined to agree with it. I’ve loved you my whole life. Who’s to say I didn’t in another one?”

“That’s interesting,” Victor pondered, “I thought you didn’t have many religious beliefs.”

“You… make me want to believe in many things I thought I couldn’t.” Yuuri confessed quietly. “Only you have that power. I’m fine with believing in anything you do. Or just in _you_ , really. That’s also more than enough.”

_Was that too much?,_ Yuuri worried _._ He didn’t worship Victor like a god anymore like he used to, that was true and they both knew it, but it was this sort of thing that made him wary he’d freak Victor out any day with the actual depths of his feelings for him. Yuuri didn’t have his heart crossed, but he guessed he didn’t need it. Needless to say, they didn’t speak again for a while after that.

It was okay, though.

Victor just looked pensive as he held Yuuri more firmly under the first morning light. Pensive wasn’t outright bad, wasn’t “freaked out and leaving”. It was more like he was actually considering the weight of Yuuri’s words and shifting his world view around them to accommodate their meaning. Which was good, or _worse_ , depending on whatever conclusion he reached when he softened his grip and moved to stay by Yuuri’s side, delicately placing his hand atop his.

Yuuri let out a breath in relief.

He still had a hard time fathoming how it was possible that he felt that comfortable in silence around another person. With anyone else, except for maybe Phichit and his sister, he would always try to fill in the gaps with awkward conversation, only serving to increase his anxiety to critical levels.

With Victor, though, he was content to just let it be.

Not a word was said between them as the sun finally set itself up in the sky and more people started to come by and chatter in groups around them in a myriad of languages and dialects.

Victor nudged his shoulder gently and left to take more pictures of the landscapes they were slowly passing by. Sometimes they were impetuous rock formations emerging from the depths of the sea, other times they were little houses with fascinating shapes and colors that could be seen from the small islands in the distance.

Yuuri was starting to enjoy himself. He stopped thinking about the terrors that hid underwater and the fear of falling from an eternal precipice waiting in the horizon. Instead, he focused on their destination, the calming sound of the birds and just spending the best honeymoon possible with the man he loved.

Which reminded him…

“So, which island are we going to again?”

Victor smiled. He was most likely waiting for an opportunity to display his impressive world history repertoire, as usual.

“Santorini,” he said. “It’s the one of think of when you think of Greece.”

“The white houses with blue domes on top of a cliff?”

“Yes, those. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing that in person. It’s such an iconic sight!”

“Oh, you’ve never been there before? That’s a first.”

“That’s because the island has a worldwide reputation of being the perfect wedding destination,” Victor said coyly, “And I have never been married before.”

“So you’ve been saving it? Even though this is hardly your first time in Greece?”

“You could say that I’m a romantic at heart.”

“What makes it so special then?” Yuuri smiled.

“Well, there aren’t many places in the world where you can enjoy beautiful clear waters while perched on the rim of a massive active volcano in the middle of the sea.”

“Wait, what did you just say about the volcano bit?” Yuuri gasped.

“Oh, yes,” Victor didn’t sound the least bothered by that fact, “The whole complex of the Santorini islands is made up of volcanic activity. But don’t worry, the last big eruption happened 3,600 years ago.”

“That just means the next one is _long_ overdue…”

Victor laughed at Yuuri’s sudden concern. “It’s safe, _solnyshko_. Probably safer than any trip we ever make to California.”

“I guess,” Yuuri acknowledged.

“Don’t even worry about it. I have a feeling you’re gonna love it. The island is actually known as _Thira_ by the Greeks, not Santorini, but it also went by other names in history. It was first called _Kalliste_ , which means “the most beautiful”. It’s very appropriate, from what I gather from pictures and friends’ reports.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, “I’m excited to meet to this ‘most beautiful’ island as much as you are, you know. I only wish I could have my phone back so I’d research what else we can do while we’re there…”

“No phones,” Victor repeated firmly.

“Jeez, you seem pretty adamant about that,” Yuuri pondered, distantly. “Well, you’re the one who’s obsessed with them anyway.”

Yuuri waited for him to answer, give him a reasonable explanation for such a weird request – but when Victor didn’t, he decided to drop the subject.

“Why don’t we go back inside and nap some more before we arrive?” Yuuri suggested. “It feels like we’ve been here forever.”

“Four more hours to go,” Victor chuckled. Yuuri groaned.

“I’m actually thinking of going upstairs to take more pictures, if you don’t mind,” Victor said apologetically.

“Oh, that’s okay. A bit late to make a career out of that, though,” Yuuri provoked absent-mindedly, smiling as he turned to walk back to the door.

He didn’t notice the way Victor stilled at that innocent remark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri’s first surprise when they finally reached the port was that Victor had decided to rent a car.

His husband was a _decent_ driver, alright, but he didn’t see why they’d have to bother with a vehicle while visiting somewhere neither of them previously knew. Surely there were transfer vans that could take care of their mobility for them, possibly even provided by their own hotel, so why choose to trust a sports car with their lives when there were other options available?

They were driving up _hills_ , for god’s sake. With water surrounding them from every corner. Yuuri would have to be extra cautious, since he had been appointed the “GPS manager” for the entirety of their trip.

The damn thing beeped in his hand far too loud to be reassuring and led them to dead ends more often than not – places where the road seemed to suddenly end and scared, _wild_ sheep would emerge in their rearview mirror.

They couldn’t find their hotel resort, not even after a solid hour of driving aimlessly around. Yuuri felt the atmosphere inside the car starting to get more charged, as Victor increasingly blamed more _Yuuri_ for their situation than the lagged _GPS_.

“I told you, it’s not loading anymore.” Yuuri all but snarled.

At some point, Yuuri simply _left_ the car unannounced to go ask for directions, but the man he approached didn’t speak any English and didn’t recognize the resort’s name either. The same man, then, grabbed Yuuri by the arm and started dragging him somewhere, talking excitedly in the local language.

Yuuri heard Victor stopping the car right there, and in a matter of seconds he was running to him, visibly shaken, thinking Yuuri was now being abducted because he had been too harsh on his critics and made him run away. 

The man actually took them to a restaurant, _his_ restaurant, it seemed like, Yuuri wasn’t sure. It was a quaint little thing balancing not-too-stably on the top of the hill they were currently lost in, with a beautiful view of the Aegean sea.

There were people inside and meals appeared to be served, so he guessed it was safe, even though the owner’s way of attracting customers was nothing short of unorthodox and honestly a bit creepy.

Yuuri checked his watch and realized it was still lunch time, even after all they’d been through already today.

_So I guess we’re eating here then_ , Yuuri thought, turning his glance to Victor, who still seemed fairly apprehensive and upset.  

The owner came back with a menu and started pointing to something written in Greek in it, in the universal sign language of “best of the house, you definitely should pick this.”

Victor was silent as Yuuri stumbled with words trying to communicate with their host, a complete role rehearsal to their normal dynamics.

He ended up ordering what the man had suggested, a _souvlaki_ , which was ostensibly the chef’s choice of the day. It turned out to be chicken skewers with fluffy pita bread and tzatziki sauce, a flavor he had never tasted before.

Yuuri felt he could almost be proud of himself for being capable of handling this social situation so well on his own, if it wasn’t for the way that Victor appeared to be having such strained conversation with him ever since they got inside that car, if not earlier than that.

Every time Yuuri tried asking him about it, though, the owner materialized back in their table, bringing one of his many family members with him and sitting them down to meet the handsome and nice foreigners he found wandering out in the road.

Yuuri had no idea what was going on anymore at this point. There were children crawling in his lap, cradling his face with their chubby little fingers and squeezing the skin next to his eyes in wonder, like they had never seen a Japanese person before in their lives – which they probably hadn’t, anyway.

Yuuri looked up to meet Victor’s eyes in a silent plea and found the man trying his hardest not to smile at Yuuri’s anguish.

_I think I’ll never fully understand European people_ , Yuuri thought with a sigh. This was all still so different from what he was used to; it was quite overwhelming. Russian people weren’t nearly as warm as this in his personal experience, but of course he had to go and marry the walking contradiction that proved the rule of thumb.

_Why isn’t he being warm now?,_ Yuuri couldn’t decipher. _What’s wrong, Vitya?_

You see, Yuuri was usually the petty one. Victor got over fights the minute they didn’t matter anymore, so he couldn’t possibly still be that hung up on the GPS incident and Yuuri slamming the car door closed on him – when it all turned out for the better, anyway. _Right?_

But Victor, ever the gentleman, was still endeavoring to be polite with their hosts, keeping a hand on the small of Yuuri’s back and making light conversation in whatever language he could hold. It was proof of how well Yuuri knew him that still he could tell something was off about his mood.

When they left, Yuuri found himself hugged within an inch of his life by his newfound friends. He just went with it, patting their backs stiffly and awkwardly attempting to smile back. The owner, whose name he found out was Pavlos, had called the man behind the counter, his partner, and asked him about the hotel he and Victor were looking for. Surprisingly, the man was friends with one of the hotel’s staff members and was able to give them precise directions to find it, even going as far as drawing a map for them so they wouldn’t get lost again, explaining it all in perfectly good English.

Yuuri refrained himself from bowing too much, as he knew it made Westerners uncomfortable, but he was just that grateful.

He followed Victor inside the car again, and silence replaced the lively atmosphere in a matter of seconds.

An uneasy silence this time – nothing like the one they shared earlier in the deck.

He knew Victor wasn’t angry, though, because he still kept his hand over Yuuri’s in the car gear, like they always did whenever they drove around St. Petersburg in Victor’s convertible. But the Russian was undeniably… distant.

Worse of all, Yuuri couldn’t tell why.

They checked in and entered their suite, dropping their luggage mindlessly over a table. Yuuri didn’t even care to look around. Victor, then, said he needed to take a shower while Yuuri gave the excuse he still badly needed sleep, climbing on the bed to look more convincing.

_What about our game, Vitya?_ , Yuuri thought sadly before going to sleep either way.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When Yuuri woke up again, it was dark outside.

He looked around drowsily. “Victor?”, he called.

Victor was nowhere to be seen.  

Yuuri sighed deeply, flopping his head down on the pillow again.

He wished he could text Phichit about how great his first 24 hours as a married man had been. You know, what with being kidnapped on his wedding party, flown across Europe, trapped in a boat for hours, forced to eat with strangers, only to have his husband leave him alone in their king sized bed for hours without indication of wanting to consummate their vows anytime soon.

_How did it all go downhill so quickly?_ , Yuuri couldn’t believe it. This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life and he felt miserable. Just goddamn awful. He couldn’t even tell where he fucked up.

Yuuri got up from the bed and took in his surroundings for the first time since he arrived in their room. Victor had really outdone himself by booking their stay in such a beautiful resort with their suite having a privileged view to the shore. The glass door to their balcony was open, slightly obstructed by white curtains flailing about. It wasn’t a chilly night, but Yuuri hoped wherever Victor went, he took a jacket with him, or at least a towel.

Where _was_ he, anyway?

Yuuri’s heart tugged painfully in his chest.

_No, let’s not assume the worst_ , he tried to reason with the anxious little Yuuri running in circles in his head. _He probably just needed some space. He might be coming back right now as we speak. Maybe the elevator broke. Maybe he got stuck trying to help an old lady carry her bag upstairs._

_He didn’t leave us. He wouldn’t._

Yuuri brushed his bangs out of his forehead, trying not to panic again. Victor wasn’t here with him. Yuuri took deep breaths. He brushed his teeth and changed his clothes. Drank some water. Ate a cracker. Thought again, then ate another cracker, then the whole package, then an apple. Victor couldn’t have gone far. He just needed to find him.

_Right. Let’s start searching for clues._

For starters, it didn’t look like Victor had even slept here at all. The other side of the bed looked pristine, white sheets only rumpled on Yuuri’s side. _Not a good sign, but then again, he did mention needing to shower._

Yuuri followed his trail into the bathroom, where he found Victor’s clothes from the night before tousled on top of the closed toilet lid. Victor, ever the slob, left his underwear hanging by a thread, ready to fall onto the floor. Yuuri would _not_ be washing those himself, not in a million years.

Still, he gathered the garments, sorted them out appropriately in their laundry bag and distantly wondered where Victor’s other sock had disappeared to. Yuuri was so used to this routine by now he could do it with his hands tied to his back. It gave him something to focus on.

It wasn’t that he was spoiling Victor by acting this way; his husband was a grown man, fully capable of looking after himself when he felt like it. But the thing was – Yuuri _liked_ taking care of him without prompting. He knew Victor wasn’t pampered much as a child, therefore Yuuri secretly enjoyed every opportunity he got to fuss over him like a proper mother hen.

It wasn’t that bad of a habit, really.

Somehow, Yuuri couldn’t picture a younger Yakov singing Victor to sleep whenever the boy had a nightmare or got sick with the flu for days on end.

Adult Victor was desperate for affection in every way he could get, being deprived from it for so long he didn’t even know how to ask for it.

It nearly broke Yuuri’s heart, but he eventually found a way around it so Victor would never have to ask – would never have to feel abandoned again. Yuuri, on his part, was delighted to tuck Victor in his chest and hide him from the world as many times as necessary, for as long as he needed.

Victor trusted him completely, trusted him enough to put every vulnerability in display in front of Yuuri and know he wouldn’t be judged for them.

_So, whatever happened probably something to do with that_ , Yuuri considered. _What did I do?_ _Did I break Victor’s trust in any way? Why’s he gone?_

But then again, it couldn’t have been entirely Yuuri’s fault that Victor went away. Victor was the one who suggested this freaking game to prevent situations like this and was the _first_ to drop it when they needed its help.

No, Victor was being childish and Yuuri was going to point it out to his face. As soon as he found him.

He could just picture it – he’d walk over to Victor with his most confident stride and chastise him with a _most_ thorough lecture about what happens when you leave your husband behind on your wedding night. Not the _fun_ aftermath, just the angry yelling. Yuuri would make himself heard.

_Right_.

That’s when he noticed, propped on top of their tiny kitchen table.

A note.

Victor had left him a note.

Yuuri grabbed his glasses to inspect it better.

It read:

 

 

Meet me at the beach.

 

Виктор

 

 

_Oh._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Whatever thought of scolding Victor was lost from Yuuri’s mind the moment he found him at last, treading softly by himself at the moonlit sea. 

Victor was wearing a loose white shirt in the water, half drenched up to his waistline, and completely soaked white shorts, like he had tried swimming in them.

_Stupid, beautiful Victor._

It was a good thing Yuuri had brought in towels – that if Victor hadn’t caught a cold already. Bathing at night in freezing waters with his clothes still on.

He was mostly facing the horizon, oblivious to Yuuri’s presence. By glimpsing his darkened profile on the distance, Yuuri could tell his husband was lost in thought.

Not many people knew, but that was when Victor Nikiforov would look his most captivating. Pensive, serious Victor. The older man thought so, so much. As much as he liked to let on that he did most things on a whim, led by impulse and sheer dumb luck, that actually couldn’t be farther from the truth.

At the same time, Yuuri just really wanted to kiss the lines on his face away.

He’d take goofy, dopey Victor any day over a worried Victor that was nearly impossible to approach.

_That’s enough._

Yuuri wrapped the biggest towel around his own body and followed the silver-haired man into the margin, letting the small waves gently wash over his feet.

Without any warning, he plastered himself onto Victor’s back, covering him with the towel as well.

The Russian didn’t even flinch in surprise. He may have probably noticed all the rustling behind him and realized Yuuri had joined him after all, or so Yuuri hoped.

Either way, Yuuri tried his best to dry off Victor’s body wherever he could reach with his hands. His chest, his arms, his hair. When he was satisfied, he planted a small kiss where Victor’s shoulder met his neck.

“Hey, why did we do this again?” Yuuri asked softly.

Victor didn’t respond. Instead, he sighed into Yuuri’s touch, tilting his head so that Yuuri could press a trail of kisses along the line of his jaw.

_So much for scolding him when I found him._

“We’re usually better than this, aren’t we,” Yuuri continued, anger completely put aside in favor of comforting his most favorite person in the world, even after said person had driven him insane for a good twenty minutes trying to locate him.

“I’m sorry,” Victor blurted suddenly. “I’m so sorry, Yuuri. I forgot about our game.”

“Screw the game,” Yuuri said, because one of them needed to have their priorities straight. “What’s wrong, Vitya?”

“You said something, and it made me _angry_?” Victor emphasized almost like a question. “I couldn’t shake it off all day. I just needed some time to let it go away on its own.”

“What?” Yuuri’s eyes widened in shock. “What did I say?”

“It’s silly. I know you didn’t mean it. Right now I just feel like a complete asshole for leaving you alone over such a stupid thing.”

“Still, Victor. Tell me what I did you upset you.” Yuuri said in a shaky voice. So he had hurt Victor, after all. He had betrayed his trust.

“When I was trying to take pictures at the ferry, you said it was too late to make a career out of that.” Victor laughed humorless.

“Oh?”

Victor sighed.

“It was then it hit me… my last season really ended this spring. I’m finally retired for good. I’m turning _thirty_ this year. I have virtually no idea what I’m going to do with the rest of my life, apart from being your coach.” Victor listed frantically. Yuuri didn’t like where this was going.

“Buying that camera was the equivalent of a mid-life crisis and you were calling me out on it.” Victor continued. “That… put me on edge, you know? It was like you were making fun of me for trying something new, because clearly I’m no good at anything other than skating.”

“Victor…”

“I know you didn’t mean it like that, that was just me overthinking it, but then I went to the bathroom to take a shower and so much of my hair fell off when I combed it, I didn’t want the awful reminder that I really might be starting to go bald this time and that…”

“Victor!” Yuuri interrupted, frantically. “Stop it! You’re not going bald! There were _three_ hairs on that comb when I looked at it just now and if you lost them it was definitely due to _stress_ , not old age.”

Yuuri forced him to turn around and face him for the second half of what he had to say.

“I’m so sorry I hurt you like that. You were right, I didn’t mean it, but I won’t ever joke like that anymore,” Yuuri apologized, tracing Victor’s cheek with his palm. “You’re brilliant, you can do whatever you put your mind into. If you want to become a photographer, then I’m damn sure you’ll be the best one in the field. Or if you want to become a farmer and – I don’t know – move to the country to plant corn or something, you know I’ll be with you all the way. I believe in you, Vitya. You’re so much more than who you are on the ice.”

Victor seemed to ponder this for a second.

“But who _am_ I without skating, Yuuri?” Victor laughed dryly.

Yuuri smiled.

“You’re my forgetful husband, the most beautiful man on the world.” Yuuri said fondly. “Dog lover, big ABBA fan, incapable of following a groceries list. You make me the happiest man alive. Not just that, you’re _kind_. You helped raise a child with your own financial support. Don’t think I don’t know. Yakov told me you gave Yurio his first pair of professional skates that were exactly his size. You’re _talented._ You speak a hundred languages, you’re charismatic and charming and you have the whole world wrapped around your little finger. You could announce tomorrow you were opening a hot dog stand and people would mob St Petersburg to see you – even if it tasted like utter garbage.”

Victor laughed soundly at that.

“You’re _Victor_. If anything, you’re _mine_. And I’m yours. So even if you do go bald when you’re sixty… you shouldn’t be afraid of growing old with me. I know I’m not. I told you, I hope to be there with you all the way.”

Victor hugged him tight.

_Crisis averted once more._

“What did I ever do to deserve you, _Kallistos_ ,” he whispered.

“Santorini? Isn’t that name of the…”

“Oh, no. Kallistos the male form of the word.”

“Hm?”

“Greeks usually give female names to islands. I was talking about you.”

“Smooth, Vitya, very smooth,” Yuuri giggled. “But I’ve already established _you_ ’re the most beautiful, though.”

“And I respectfully beg to disagree.”

Yuuri shoved him playfully, almost dropping them both on the water when Victor held on to him.

They tried to manhandle one another for a few minutes, only succeeding in making each other and the innocent towel completely wet by the end of it, despite of Yuuri’s earlier efforts. You could call it counter-productive, but to Yuuri, who had seen the darkness of that hotel room and almost drowned in it, it was the purest definition of joy.

“You know, I had to hike to get here.” Yuuri complained meekly. “Why is the sand red anyway? That’s really weird.”

“I told you, it’s the result of thousands of years of volcanic eruption.”

“You seem oddly calm whenever you talk about these natural catastrophes, it’s really unnerving.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re from Japan, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you at all,” Victor smirked.

“For your information, Hasetsu is located in a really privileged area in Japan and because of that I’ve never had to deal with this sort of disaster at all in my whole life.”

“Well, the rest of the world is not that lucky. We get raging blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, unfortunate choices of presidents…”

“And poor Russia even gets bonus Victor Nikiforov, a force of nature in itself…”

“Victor _Katsuki_ -Nikiforov,” Victor added as an afterthought.

“Yes, right.” Yuuri blinked. “That’s gonna take a while to get used to.”

“Oh?” Victor prodded. “But I bet you had loads of practice writing that in all of your school notebooks next to many, many arrows to the heart…”

“You’re so full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“So I’m not wrong.”

“Victor!” Yuuri blushed furiously. “That was _one_ time! Now I know what you’re really like.”

“And what am I like, Yuuri?” Victor wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Annoying. Conceited. A coldhearted tease.”

“Such hurtful words…”

“Well, yeah, you deserve it. You left your husband lying in bed waiting for you on your wedding night. I was ready for you, but the bed was cold and the room empty when I woke up. I nearly thought you were gone forever.”

Victor stopped smiling all of a sudden.

“Yuuri,” he drawled. “I can’t believe you’d consider for a second… Yuuri, _no_ , never. I would never leave you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think… That was so selfish of me. I’m so sorry, _solnyshko_.”

“It’s okay now,” Yuuri said. “It was just a… communication issue. As usual. But we’re gonna work on that, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Victor replied, tracing a damp cross over Yuuri’s heart with his index finger. “Starting now. I’m gonna be honest with you. I want you, Yuuri. It’s the way you look tonight… I think I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

“Hmm, I’ve heard that before coming from you.”

“That’s because it’s always true.” Victor raised Yuuri’s ring hand and kissed it sweetly. “Yuuri. _Lyubov moya._ Do you seriously forgive this annoying, conceited, coldhearted excuse of a man who screws up a lot but loves you truly, madly and deeply all the same?”

“I wouldn’t have him any other way.” Yuuri smiled warmly.

“So you’ll let me have you, _solnyshko_?”

“Always.”

“But what do _you_ want tonight, Yuuri?”

“I want my husband inside of me. As soon as possible.”

“Okay, I can arrange that.”

Victor toppled them both under the shallow water, almost crushing Yuuri with his weight where his back hit the sand. 

“Victor!” Yuuri yelled. Victor just grinned and pulled Yuuri into a deep kiss.

Yuuri’s resolve, like his anger, quickly melted under Victor’s touch. _Damn you,_ he thought distantly. He kissed back, tangling his fingers in Victor’s hair, bringing him closer to taste the salty water in his skin.

But when you gave Victor an inch, he took the proverbial mile and then 20,000 leagues under the sea and started grinding against you in a public beach in Greece.

“Let’s do it here then,” he breathed, to which Yuuri almost promptly replied _yes._

“I’m not letting you anywhere near my ass without lube,” Yuuri said instead.

“I’ll open you up with my tongue.”

“That sounds lovely, but,” and then Yuuri squirmed when Victor sucked on a sensitive spot on his neck, “T-there’s sand all over me, in places where sand is never supposed to be, and it’s driving me crazy…”

“The _sand_ is driving you crazy?” Victor repeated incredulous. “I’ll show you.”

Yuuri fucking hoped he did.

 

 

* * *

 

 

And Victor did drive Yuuri slowly insane.

As soon as they were inside their room, Victor backpedaled and starting taking his own sweet time taking Yuuri apart under his hands.

He quite literally hit the brakes when he carried Yuuri into the shower spray and started _showering_ him, of all things, washing his body carefully with a soft sponge. Yuuri took every opportunity available to throw himself at him, now that they were bare and alone, but Victor dutifully continued his ministrations lathering Yuuri up with soap foam and rinsing his hair.

“You’re a bad, bad person, Vitya,” Yuuri muttered under his breath.

“I need you clean for what I plan to do,” Victor answered simply. Yuuri heard the pop of a bottle being open and liquid sprayed into Victor’s hand.

Yuuri thought wildly for a second if he was using conditioner on his hair when he felt the first finger slipping in easily through his entrance. _Oh. Lube. He keeps lube in the bathroom._

Yuuri bucked back against it immediately, desperate for the intimate contact. He could feel the older man’s smirk pressed against his hip and that was all the warning he got before Victor’s tongue followed soon after, just like he had promised.

_God, Vitya._

Yuuri might not survive this after all.

The heady sensation would never cease to be exquisite, but all Yuuri could focus right now was how Victor had a two-day stubble rubbing against his cheeks and that only served to make him even more impatient and needy.

Somehow, what appeared to be hours later, Yuuri managed to lead Victor into the bedroom again, still dripping wet from their shower – and _thankfully, finally_ , the younger man was able to come for the first time that night with his cock untouched while riding his husband on the bed.

They were still far from over, though.

That only took the edge off Yuuri’s pleasure and thankfully after that they were really able to last. Victor was a man on a mission, if his mission was trying to sit up and take control of Yuuri’s hips while he still rode him, aiming to dictate their rhythm –  which Yuuri eventually let him do out of fatigue and because the new position allowed Victor to kiss him.

“Vitya?” Yuuri moaned in-between breaths.

“Yeah…”

“Don’t ever stop.”

“Will do.” Victor quickly complied.

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he ever did stop.

Time was a hazy concept while they clung to each other, tore each other apart and started it all over again, like they were existing alone in their own metaphysical cycle of death and rebirth - perhaps the small, theoretical loop between pirate and skater that Victor talked about.

A place in the universe where the only constants were the heated touches of their bodies and Yuuri believed, _believed_ it couldn’t have possibly been the first time he felt this and nor would it be the last.

They would always find each other again.

By the -nth time Yuuri came that night, Victor was sliding slowly between Yuuri’s legs, thrusting sloppily as they shared kisses until Victor let go and came with a groan that echoed loudly through the walls and made Yuuri’s shivers anew.

He couldn’t tell how many times they’ve been at this, or what time it was when they finally parted ways for a moment to breathe, organic bodies needing ludicrous things like oxygen and water to keep pumping blood into their veins.

It all just started making sense again when Victor pillowed his head on Yuuri’s chest, exhausted from the madness of their day. The simple gesture was enough to ground Yuuri back on Earth, the one where Victor was his husband and coach and no longer a miracle.

“Can I tell you something weird?” Yuuri said into the silence of the room, slowly caressing Victor’s curls.

“I love weird.”

“Stop it, this is serious,” Yuuri poked him adoringly. “I’m crossing my heart.”

“I guess it’s only fair, since what I told you earlier mustn’t have been easy to hear putting it so raw like that. You do know I love being your coach, don’t you? And I’ll be happy if it’s the only thing I’ll ever do until you retire.”

“I do, Vitya,” Yuuri reassured him. “I wasn’t worried about that.”

“Then what do you wanna tell me, _solnyshko_?”

“It’s just a thing that crossed through my mind. It’s just… I can’t believe I’m married now. You know, I never thought I’d live a great romance with someone. I was so sure of it throughout my teenage years. I never thought I’d get used to waking up next to somebody, even _wanting_ to was always a distant possibility. I thought I’d be fine on my own… and to be quite honest, I would be.”

Yuuri smiled to himself.

“It’s just you. It could only have been you. This would never have made sense with anybody else.”

But the hardest part was still to come:

“I’m so glad I love you. Because if I didn’t, I would resent you.”  

_There._

“How so?” Victor asked, tracing patterns over Yuuri’s torso almost distractedly. But Yuuri knew better.

“Being married to you is the only satisfying outcome to my dedicating my entire life to you.” Yuuri clarified, realizing how close his life had almost ended up a punchline to a terrible joke. “I don’t think you realize, sometimes, the impact you had on me. I only skated because of you. I moved away from home because I wanted to be good enough to compete against you. I missed my family, I lost my dog; I did it all because of you. You’ve always been everything to me, Victor. I don’t know what I would’ve done if all we ever had together was a commemorative photo to remind me of my failures.”

“I’m not trying to blame you for anything, far from that,” Yuuri was fast to amend. “I just thought… this is something you should know about me.”

“It’s a good thing I found you when I did, then,” Victor said seriously.

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed.

But then he added, almost as an afterthought, “You see, this is why I love you. You always know the right thing to say, even when I’m not sure myself.”

“You’re welcome, my love.” Victor said, nuzzling his face against Yuuri’s neck. “It’s funny ‘cause you think this sort of thing will scare me… that goes to show how naive you are still.”

“Naive?”

“My lizard brain loves being reassured that you’ll never let me go.” Victor kissed his jaw tenderly. “Twisted, no?”

“I don’t think so,” Yuuri honestly thought. “I think that’s just the way we were meant to be.”

“Good,” Victor smiled against Yuuri’s cheek. His stubble was scratchy against the soft skin there.

“Changing the subject entirely,” Yuuri said, “Why didn’t you shave? You always shave everyday, twice a day even. Are you trying out a new look?”

“I forgot to pack my shaving kit in the rush to get to the airport,” Victor said almost apologetically. “Is that okay? You should have mentioned it sooner.”

“Oh, no, Victor, no, I’m not complaining. It feels good. By the end of this trip you’ll be looking like a proper caveman, though.”

“And does that excite you?”

“No one will be able to refute I wasn’t abducted by a crazy dude with a silver beard on my honeymoon.”

“Still hung up on that kidnapping thing, Yuuri?”

“I still haven’t talked to anyone since the wedding! People might be starting to gossip.”

“That’s exactly why I took our phones away.”

“Because you don’t wanna read gossip about us?” Yuuri frowned.

“I just didn’t want read any news about our wedding and what Russia or the world had to say about it. I wished we could just forget about everything else and have this one thing for ourselves. Also, I don’t want us to be distracted by work while we’re here. I guess I didn’t realize how far fetched of a request that would actually turn out to be. You can have your phone back so you can text Phichit.”

“Thank _god,_ ” Yuuri laughed. “But I don’t feel like talking to Phichit right now, though. Somehow, I feel like this is all about you taking drastic measures to be stopped from instagramming 24/7.”

“No such thing,” Victor vehemently denied. “Besides, I’m a proper photographer now.”

Yuuri bit his lip to keep him from saying something witty, but Victor did that for him as well by kissing him viciously on the lips. His stubble tickled even more in their post-arousal state.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about,” Yuuri teased, breaking Victor’s hold on his mouth, “It seems like you’ll never stop growing hair here anyway.”

“I hope so.” Victor prayed. “But seriously. Will you still love me when I go bald, _solnyshko_? For real?”

“Yes, I’m still gonna love you tomorrow, Vitya.”

“ _Yuuuuuri_ , you’re so mean!” Victor whined loudly.

“I swear it on my crossed heart.”

“I’ll get back to you in a few years and we’ll see about that.”

“You do that,” Yuuri said, kissing him back languidly like they had all the time in the world. “You do that.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day went by much more uneventful than the first. Yuuri and Victor woke up with the sound of seagulls and wisely planned their driving routes for the day in advance with their phones’ Wi-Fi connection, like they should have done from the start.

Yuuri refused letting the The Evil GPS From Hell™ tag along with them for the ride, because he wasn’t stupid and only needed to learn that lesson once. Victor didn’t voice any complaints; instead he focused on learning as much about the island as possible so they wouldn’t get caught unprepared.

For instance, Victor had already instructed Yuuri they’d be running away from the most touristy places in the island, which in Santorini seemed to be concentrated in a part of town called Oia (“It’s pronounced like Eeh-yah”), that was beautiful but pretty much isolated from everything else.

Also, he had already made plans of watching the sunset (“It’s the ultimate romantic experience in Greece!”) in a town called Imerovigli because TripAdvisor had warned him the sunsets were the prettiest there, even though everybody seemed to customarily crowd Oia for the event, where the sun ostensibly set right in your face. Plus, in Imerovigli, there were fantastic restaurants in walking distance and they’d be closer to the capital, Fira.

“That sounds great,” Yuuri said, more concerned about fitting everything they needed inside the car’s trunk and making sure they had enough sunscreen to cover Victor up from head to toe at least 4 times throughout the day.

Without much difficulty, they traveled back and forth between the cities that made up the balcony of Santorini, the so-called “Caldera’s eyebrow”, which offered an amazing view of the volcano.

Some villages they drove by were more cosmopolitan, others more peaceful, some of them even housed famous archaeological sites and were surrounded by vast vineyards; whitewashed cliff-top towns with castles affording amazing views out over the Aegean.

Soaking up the villages’ distinctive traditional atmosphere together was a fascinating experience, with Victor stopping every now and then to take pictures on his camera and Yuuri on his phone.

What was starting to bother Yuuri a little bit, though, was the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack being blasted at full volume for the fifth consecutive time in their car’s speakers, a courtesy of Victor’s mystifying ABBA obsession.

Yuuri didn’t have the heart to tell him, though, especially when Victor started mewling dramatically at the wheel that he just wasn’t the dancing queen anymore, hasn’t been for years, to what Yuuri replied with his best singing voice that yes, he could still dance and still jive, having the time of his life, (“Uuhhhhhhhh”, completed Victor, absolutely tone-deaf). They sang together most of the songs afterwards, with Victor acting out all of Meryl Streep’s parts.

“Just like the original, huh?”

“Oh, _uncanny_.”

They laughed and kissed and got strangely-shaped tan marks all over their bodies and if Yuuri closed his eyes for a second he could pretend this was how it all began – yesterday’s sorrow wiped away from their memories like a bad dream.

Yuuri even dove into the sea when they went snorkeling that afternoon.

Victor was swimming around excitedly, yelling for Yuuri to jump off that boat, that it was _safe_ , see how much fun he was having.

“Are you gonna protect me from the fish then? The rays, the sharks, the anemones, whatever animal decides to come at me?”

“Yes!” Victor yelped, submerging again to find his new jellyfish friend.

Nothing came at Yuuri’s direction and he was amazed he didn’t have a panic attack in the water (“It’s so _clear_ ”), but he ended up having to treat a fairly red burn to Victor’s pinky finger where he accidentally touched something he shouldn’t.

It was, overall, a perfect day, exactly like Yuuri had always fantasized.

That was precisely why he should have suspected something was up.

He didn’t, though. Yuuri never even saw it coming.

But for the first time in his life, the surprise that followed didn’t implicate in something bad and potentially life ruining. It was something _wonderful_ \- like only being married to the likes of Victor Katsuki-Nikiforov could ever provide.

It began when Victor suggested they’d have dinner at the same place they ate yesterday, at Pavlos’ restaurant near the shore.

“You wanna pay the kids a visit again?” Yuuri inquired.

“Pavlos’ partner said there’d be live music tonight, I said we might drop by.” Victor said, distracted with the road.

“The one who gave us the hotel’s address? You talked to him?” Yuri asked curiously.

“He said he’d arrange something special for us if we came.” Victor smiled. “I told him we were on our honeymoon.”

“Oh, that’s nice of him. I suppose we could go then, just for a bit, say hello.”

Once they got inside the restaurant, everything looked completely normal. Pavlos and his partner greeted them at the door and Victor answered in perfectly-practiced Greek, because he’s “already had 24 hours to learn the basics”, he told Yuuri.

The couple led them to a table next to the bay windows with a stunning view to the beach below the hill and left them alone for once to pick their order. All around them, local families and tourists alike were eating and talking excitedly over the vibrant music echoing in the salon – there was a live band playing traditional Greek songs and even some international hits by request.

“This is awesome,” Yuuri announced over the course of their meal. “I can’t believe we almost missed out on a place like this.”

Victor didn’t reply, instead, he seemed focused on the strange activities that were apparently going on in the kitchen and causing a hustle between the staff.

Pavlos’ English-speaking partner (husband?), Nikos, popped up on the kitchen’s window and for some reason looked directly at Victor, who even more strangely smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, like he was giving the man permission to get on with something.

“Uh, Victor,” Yuuri hesitated, noticing how the entire dance floor was suddenly emptied of all couples and children. “What’s going on?”

“Yuuri,” Victor looked at him at last. “I’ve been thinking. Really thinking. I’m so sorry I made us leave in the middle of our wedding party. I still haven’t apologized properly for that and you’ve been so forgiving, so amazing. I know now how much it meant to you and I had no right of taking it away, no matter what my intentions were.”

“Victor, it’s okay. We’re here now and this is better than any party. I’m having so much fun,” Yuuri said genuinely.

“It’s not okay. There’s still something missing from that night, something we haven’t done.”

“And what is it?”

Victor’s answer was interrupted by Nikos, who strode to their table cheerfully holding a plate in his hands.

He handed it to Yuuri, who took it completely confused.

“What should I do with this?”

“You smash it.” Nikos clarified with a grin.

“What?”

“Break the plate, Yuuri.” Victor encouraged with a mischievous look. “It’s tradition. Well, not anymore, but they do have a license for this sort of activity. Just do it, it's fun.”

“Okay, then…” Yuuri stood up awkwardly and… dropped the plate to the ground.

It made a clashing noise as it cracked in a dozen pieces, drawing everyone’s attention to the three of them.

Yuuri could crawl up under a rock and die right there.

“Everyone!” Nikos shouted to the whole room. “Our dear guests, Victor and Yuuri, international athletes from Russia and Japan, just got MARRIED!”

A great wave of applause and enthusiastic cheers filled up the restaurant on the spot and Yuuri was sure he was experiencing déjà vu. _What the?_

“And they chose to celebrate it here with us! In Greece!” Nikos continued in the same animated tone, walking to the center of the room. “So what do you say we show them how we things are done around here? In classic, authentic Greek fashion?”

More cheers followed.

“Victor, what’s going on?” Yuuri repeated dumbfounded.

“So I thought to myself,” Victor resumed his earlier speech like he had never been interrupted, “If Yuuri and I can’t have a normal, traditional wedding like we were planning to… why don’t we have a Greek wedding instead?”

“A… what? Victor!” Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh insanely at the Russian’s logic. “I can’t believe that you… Victor, you’re so ridiculous. This is so crazy. This is… Oh my god, they’re throwing a party for us.”

They really were _._ Nikos grabbed Victor by the arm and in a matter of seconds the entire salon was filled with music again; staff, tourists and even regular customers had broken into dancing merrily arm-in-arm, pulling the grooms into their circle. Yuuri found himself holding hands with Pavlos’ kids on each side of him and they were screaming excitedly as he spun them round and round through the room.

Yuuri had a smile permanently plastered on his face when he eventually found Victor again, after swaying with everyone in the square dance who came his way.

They didn’t get a chance to dance together, though, like Yuuri desperately wanted them to. Pavlos cleared his throat in that moment, inviting everyone for a toast.

“To the grooms!” Nikos helpfully translated, taking a gulp of champagne.

Yuuri drank as well. He was happy.

He was so happy.

He was the happiest man in the world.

“Pretty sure that’s me.” Victor came around, wrapping his arms around Yuuri’s waist. _Did I say that out loud?_

“What did you think of my surprise?” Victor asked, eyes glinting in the soft light of the room.

Yuuri cupped his husband’s face with his hands.

“You had me completely fooled, love. How did you manage all of this?”

“I called the restaurant’s number in the morning before you woke up and Nikos picked up. I explained our situation to him and he said he was happy to help with anything we needed. I just said I had one specific request that I’d be willing to pay extra for.”

“And what is that?”

“We haven’t had our first dance yet.”

 

_Oh._

 

“No, we have not.” Yuuri agreed, trying not betray his casual tone with the utmost bliss he was actually feeling.

“And that is absolutely unacceptable. Don’t you think so?”

“I do, especially considering we’ve been married for almost 48 hours now.”

“Right,” Victor consented. “Too long. Way too long. So I must ask: will you dance with me, Yuuri?”

Yuuri looked down, playing coy.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Victor smiled so very brightly Yuuri was positive everyone in the room was blinded by the sheer light emanating from the silver-haired man in the middle of the dance floor. Or was that just him?

Victor walked over to the band and talked to them briefly. They apparently had an agreement as well, since the violinist nodded and pulled sheets from his case, getting ready to start.

Yuuri wondered exactly what kind of waltz they were going to dance.

Across the room, Victor looked at him with an intensity Yuuri had never seen before in his eyes.

[The first notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS-LQTcu2mw) began to play softly on the piano.

Yuuri recognized the song immediately.

It was Victor’s last free program of his career. The one dedicated entirely to his life and love, the theme of his final season.

It was the song that told the story of how Victor Nikiforov fell for one Yuuri Katsuki, a dime-a-dozen Japanese skater.

Yuuri stood there, suddenly frozen in time.

When the violin first joined the piano, Victor was right in front of him.

He bowed deeply and took Yuuri’s hand, kissing his ring finger.

They slow-danced together at first, unsure of how they’d be able to translate Victor’s graceful movements on the ice into an impromptu duet on the dance floor.

Yuuri knew they needn’t worry, though. They had done something similar once before. And they always met in the middle.

Yuuri let Victor lead him for this part of the dance, that was about loneliness and endless searching, the way Victor said he felt prior to Yuuri stumbling into his life.

_It all started with the banquet._

When the violin picked up and the music came to a peak, they were reminiscing the steps from their first drunken dance together, a mixture between flamenco and tango, adapting them into the rhythm and mirroring each other’s moves.

Yuuri spun Victor around, symbolizing the way he had swept the Russian champion off his feet that night, even though Yuuri only had pictures to remind himself of that fateful encounter that would change their lives forever.

While very talented dancers, they both had different styles in how they approached their waltz: Yuuri was trained in ballet first and foremost and let that influence leak into his every step; while Victor excelled in ballroom dances and charmed the room with his elegant posture.

Yuuri couldn’t help but dip Victor back, parallel to the floor, like he had done that night, and nearly kiss him when the music halted.

But Yuuri didn’t kiss him, though, not yet, because he knew that part. He knew what happened next in the story.

Yuuri escaped from his embrace and disappeared when morning came, leaving Victor alone again, more confused than when he had found him.

The violin’s notes were steady again and Yuuri danced by himself, thrown back to that spring in Hasetsu in his mind. The one he had given up and Victor had searched and searched again, calling out into the void to no answer.

Yuuri challenged himself with delicate ballet spins, every movement a desperate call to an invisible partner. _Stammi Vicino,_ he recalled fondly. The video that had brought them back together. When Victor had found him at last and become his coach.

They met again in the middle of the dance floor and moved like one, completely in tune with each other. Victor lifted him off the ground and just like that Yuuri had mastered the quad salchow and they were winning regionals together, never taking their eyes off each other.

Victor lifted him again and Yuuri attempted the quad flip – he fell, but the rotations were there – and Victor was running to him, tackling him to the ice, when things were still simple and they had found out their love in China. 

Then Yuuri had said, “After the final, let’s end this.”

It hurt, it hurt like trying to fly with a broken wing, but it wasn't the end - it was a terrible misunderstanding, though, one that was fixed by silver as comforting as the color of Victor’s hair. They promised each other the rest of their lives, and after that, it didn’t matter where they went.

Barcelona, Budapest, Saint Petersburg. All the places they had learned to call home because the other was there.

Yuuri brought his hand up, locking their gazes together, and Victor mimicked the movement, their palms almost touching but not quite, masquerading a phantom dance from long ago. Most importantly, taking their time to acknowledge each other. _Here you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere._

They swayed together as the song reached its close.

This time, when Victor dipped Yuuri back, he let him kiss him.

 

_You found me._

_I’m home._

 

Thunderous applause deafened the room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Later, they were standing at the balcony outside of the restaurant, exhausted after shaking everyone’s hands in the exit when all the dancing was over – like the proper hosts that they weren’t.

“Pavlos and Nikos are very kind,” Yuuri said, facing the impetuous waves below striking against the hill. “Did you learn anything about them? Like, are all those kids theirs?”

“Nikos told me all four kids come from Pavlos’ first marriage that ended a few years ago. They have always been friends and in love with each other, but only acted out on their feelings once Pavlos’ wife moved to Mykonos and asked for a divorce. The kids wanted to stay with their father and so they all moved together and opened this restaurant. He says they’re happier now.”

“Was Nikos ever married as well?”

“No,” Victor said simply, “I guess in a way, he has always been waiting for Pavlos.”

“I’m glad they’re finally together. They deserve all happiness in the world.”

“I think so too. Maybe that’s why they bought my sob story so easily,” Victor laughed.

“What did you tell them?”

“That you made me wait a year suffering in silence by your side.”

“I did _not_ ,” Yuuri censured him. “We’ve been through this hundreds of times, Victor, I didn’t _remember_ the night we met. I couldn’t have known that…”

“I know, I know, _solnyshko_ ,” Victor laughed even harder now. “I just like getting a rise out of you.”

“This isn’t funny.”

“It is a bit funny,” Victor tried to reason, “That we’re so bad at communicating.”

“We’re not that bad.”

“Well, let’s take a look at our timeline. First, we lived together. Then you proposed to me. A day later, you tried firing me without notice. It was only after that we finally started dating.”

“And now we’re married,” Yuuri finished, “That balances it all up.”

“You think it does?”

“I know it does.”

Victor nodded once in jest, letting the subject go. He wrapped an arm around Yuuri’s hip and they kept watching the sea for a while.

“So,” Yuuri started again, “You think we’re like them? Pavlos and Nikos.”

“Well, not really. I mean, we don’t even have kids in the equation.”

“What do you think about them?”

“Their kids? They’re lovely.”

“Kids in general, actually.” Yuuri said before he could think about it.

Did something possess Yuuri? Was he really going there right now? _Why_?

_Take it back, now._

Victor went alarmingly quiet for a minute. It looked like he was bracing himself for what he wanted to say.

“Do _you_ want kids?” Victor asked hesitantly.

“I seriously never gave it much thought, actually. I just wanted to know where you stood on the matter, I guess, we never really talked about it. It’s not even that important, so we can just…”

“Yuuri.” Victor practically winced saying his name. “I might have to cross my heart for this.”

“Okay.”

“I think I might never… want to have children.”

“Okay,” Yuuri repeated, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. It’s not like Yuuri actively _wanted_ kids himself, he was just curious. “But why do you say that?”

“You’ll think it’s silly.”

“I won’t,” Yuuri promised. “Or rather, I can’t, because we’re under oath.”

Victor didn’t laugh. Bad sign.

“I don’t know if I want kids because… I’m not sure I'll ever be able to love someone as much as I love you.” Victor ultimately confessed. “I don’t think I even want to. I apologize if you think differently, it might still be too soon to…”

“No, Victor, no,” Yuuri stopped him right there. “Hey, look at me.”

Yuuri turned in his embrace and held Victor’s hand up to cup his cheek, forcing him to face him at last.

“I don’t need kids. Just you. You’re all I’ll ever need. And you’re right, it’s too soon to be talking about this.”

“I just want you to know I may not be _permanently_ opposed to the idea, _solnyshko_. You just caught me off guard, is all.”

“It’s fine, Vitya, it’s honestly all fine,” Yuuri said firmly. “We look after Yurio already. If he turns out okay, we’ll at least know if we’re prepared.”

Victor finally laughed at Yuuri’s attempt to crack a joke and lighten the mood.

“That one is a lot of work, indeed.”

Yuuri tried to run his hands across Victor’s arms in sympathy, but the Russian had gone all stiff from their conversation.

“Hey, love, don’t be so tense. It was just a musing. Here, kiss me.” Yuuri offered himself and Victor complied immediately, capturing his lips vigorously like he couldn’t have done before in their dance.

It would never get old, kissing Victor. The other man’s taste and the way he felt against his skin was intoxicating and comforting all at once, providing Yuuri with everything he could possibly want.

Desire and familiarity.

The tangible proof that it was possible to be in love with someone forever.

“I love you,” Victor whispered fiercely, pressing Yuuri closer still. “I love you.”

Yuuri kissed him again, humming against his lips. “ _Ya lyublyu tebya_.”

“Oh, that’s _so_ not fair,” Victor whined, visibly shivering all over. “ _Aishiteru yo_.”

“Trying to woo me again?” Yuuri teased. “You know, I don’t think I ever told you this very random story, but that just reminded me – did you know my grandparents always used _keigo_ with each other, even after they’ve both gone old and grey? It was really endearing to watch them at it.”

“Formal Japanese, you mean?” Victor asked confused. “Wasn’t it weird, though? Weren’t they close to each other?”

“On the contrary. You see, he always spoke formally to her because he felt like, in a way, he should always be wooing her. That’s considered quite oddly sweet in Japanese culture.”

“Just when I think I’m starting to understand your culture,” Victor shook his head in feigned exasperation. “So, say, if I wanted to woo you like your grandparents did, I’d say instead: _ai shite imasu_?”

“Oh, no,” Yuuri corrected. “ _Keigo_ goes with most things, but not usually with declarations of love between people who know each other. You’d say that to a _god_ , I mean, or the emperor, a greek deity, perhaps. Not your husband or wife, that’d be weird. It’s too serious. Venerating, even.”

“Then I feel like that’s strangely appropriate.” Victor pondered. “Maybe those are the only words in any language that attempt to encompass all that I really feel for you.”

“Victor, don’t be ridiculous.” Yuuri blushed redder than a tomato.

“ _Ai shite imasu, Yuuri_.” Victor repeated, meaning it this time. “I like the way it sounds. I’ll say it again.”

Yuuri kissed him to shut him up.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Gah, too bright._

Yuuri woke up slowly the next day, chasing the warmth beside him and tangling himself around it unceremoniously. Without ever opening his eyes, he found a part of Victor’s body – his shoulder, apparently – to latch onto and trail it with lazy kisses.

“Morning,” Victor said, way too loud.

Yuuri payed it no mind and moved up to Victor’s neck, more touching in with his mouth than actually kissing, but it was too early in the day for precision.

When Yuuri finally blinked the sleep away from his eyes and was ready to move on to more interesting activities, he found Victor kind of propped up over the headboard, absent-mindedly scrolling through his phone while he showered the other man with affection.

“Victor!” Yuuri whined. “Why are on your phone? You said n _o phones._ ”

“I withdrew that clause yesterday, remember?”

“But you’re not paying attention to me.”

“That was my entire point to begin with,” Victor reminded him, smiling as he tapped the keyboard with agile fingers. “But now that we have them again, I need to answer this email real quick. It’s one of your sponsors.”

“Fine,” Yuuri grumbled, rolling away to the other side of the bed. He grabbed his own phone on the nightstand in revenge and started using it as well.

He had a lot of unanswered texts but he didn’t feel like dealing with them just yet, opening the weather forecast app instead.

It was gonna be hot today, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 28ºC around 2 PM, so he’d need to pick out lighter clothing for them from their suitcases, maybe even sandals and T-shirts. They were not gonna hike anywhere today, just explore the capital Fira, so sandals were probably the best choice anyway.

Yuuri hoped Victor’s beard would help protect his face from burning; it was really red yesterday but he seemed to have woken up okay. Now that he thought about it, Yuuri could admit to himself the beard was coming along very nicely and made Victor’s complexion even more handsome than usual – he was definitely gonna miss it once it was gone in a few days. Well, he was just gonna have to take advantage of it while his husband still had it.

“I’m done.” Victor announced, putting his phone away and coming to hug Yuuri from the sides.

“Now _I’m_ busy.” Yuuri mocked, training his eyes on the screen to piss him off.

“Are you, really?” Victor inquired, sliding his body under the covers next to Yuuri until his head disappeared from sight.

_What is he doing?_

“Yes, I’m a very busy man.” Yuuri said, yelping when he felt Victor’s lips suddenly wrapping against his morning erection. “N-no time for distractions here.”

“We’ll see about that.” Victor smirked, or Yuuri thought he did, because he couldn’t see him when Victor started to bob his head up and down under the white sheets.  

Oh, _God._

But two could play at this game.

Yuuri opened the first text unfazed, or almost, trying not to moan while letting the older man have his way with him. 

He typed out “Ok” and moved to the next conversation, that included a video link to YouTube.

He clicked it.

Victor did something really interesting with his tongue.

Yuuri stared at the video in shock.

“Oh my god, Phichit.” Yuuri couldn’t believe his eyes.

Victor stopped faster than Yuuri could register what he said.

“Come again?” he frowned in displeasure, holding the sheets up so Yuuri could see his aggravated face.

“No!” Yuuri yelled horrified. “ _No_! Phichit just sent me a text. Victor, come up here. You need to see this.”

“What’s wrong?” Victor stood up worried, laying next to Yuuri in the bed.

“Apparently we’ve gone viral… again.”

“But I didn’t post anything, I swear!”

“No, it wasn’t you, for once,” Yuuri complied. “But someone must have filmed us yesterday in the restaurant. We’re on YouTube.”

“Let me see,” Victor took the phone from him.

 

 

**Phichit:** youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

**Phichit:** you guys are such goals (￣(エ)￣)

**Phichit:** hope you don’t mind i clarified it was really you G.G

 

 

**[Gay married couple has their first dance in the Greek islands– the ending is so beautiful you’ll cry!]**

_126,466 views_

 

 

Comments · 982

 

**kawaiiflower** [8 hours ago]

awww so pretty

 

**Samantha Yates** [6 hours ago]

I legit cried watching this. There’s still happiness to be found in this world if you know where to look for it. Such a lovely couple! Wishing them all the best. #IBelieveInLove #Pride2k18

 

**secretiveleaf** [5 hours ago]

hey isn’t that victor and yuuri

 

_ view all 42 replies˅ _

 

**tinjohns** [5 hours ago]

who

 

**secretiveleaf** [5 hours ago]

victor nikiforov and yuuri katsuki, the famous ice skaters, i’m pretty sure it’s them

 

**onetinybubble** [4 hours ago]

OMG IT IS!!!!!!!

 

**secretiveleaf** [4 hours ago]

IT’S THEM PHICHIT CHULANONT JUST CONFIRMED IT #DEAD

 

**superwholockian234** [4 hours ago]

THEY GOT MARRIED????? I’M SO FREAKING HAPPY THIS IS AMAZING NEWS

 

**David Patrick** [3 hours ago]

They’re in Santorini!!! Dammit, I’ve just been there like a month ago.

 

**lambielgal** [3 hours ago]

I’M HERE ON VACATION IMMA WATCH OUT FOR THEM

 

_ view more comments _

 

_

 

**BuzzFeed @BuzzFeed** · 32 min ago

 #LoveOnIce | You won’t believe what the internet just accidentally found! https://t.co/oFNFgNPwu2

 

_ 

 

They were both speechless watching how that trainwreck had unfolded over the night.

“I told you phones were a bad idea.” Victor finally said.

“This wasn’t even our fault.” Yuuri blinked.

Victor’s phone rang in the nightstand, pulling them out of their trance.

“It’s Yura.” Victor said.

“Well, pick it up.”

Yuuri heard indiscernible screaming for 10 seconds before the line went silent.

“He says he can’t believe we ditched his performance for this.”

“We did practice that surprise for weeks,” Yuuri reasoned. “I’ll show you the snapchats later.”

“I think he’s happy, though,” Victor said distantly.

“But is he ever?” Yuuri contemplated.

They looked at each other and started laughing insanely.

They laughed and laughed until Victor’s stomach hurt and Yuuri was crying. Their freaking _lives_.

Yuuri honestly believed he would not live a single boring moment until the day he died.

“I'm glad someone thought to film it, though, ‘cause we totally forgot.” Victor said a while later.

That sent Yuuri spiraling into another furious giggling fit.

“Right?” Yuuri said. “But let’s turn these damn things off now, shall we? I’ll put them next to the GPS in the bag for the rest of the trip.”

“So savage, Yuuri.”

“Oh, my love, you haven’t seen a thing…”

Yuuri climbed over Victor and they ended up not leaving the hotel room for a very long time.

Their phones buzzed and buzzed and buzzed until their batteries went out.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this took a much more emotional turn than I was expecting.
> 
> I wasn't so sure about this part when I planned it out. I mostly just wanted to have Victuuri dancing at their wedding to this beautiful cover of River Flows In You by Yiruma, but somewhere along the way, writing this became almost like a therapeutic experience to me and I let my communication kink loose and here's what you got.
> 
> I think Yuuri and Victor still have a lot of room for personal growth in this series and in every installment they get to address different problems towards their relationship - which makes it interesting for me to write about it, not being a huge fan of established relationship fics myself (weird, right?).
> 
> I have 3 more parts mapped out - the next in the city of Cartagena in the Caribbean, where Victor's past will come back to haunt them; then an interlude in Disneyland for funsies with their son Yura; and finally, the intense series finale where shit get real in the Paris of Victor's childhood. 
> 
> My fingers hurt just thinking about writing all these monsters, but I think it'll be worth it in the end. As always, keep in mind that these works aren't beta'd and English is not my first language, so feel free to drop me any corrections or suggestions.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this far, and if you really like this travel!series, please consider subscribing to my profile to know when the next verse is out or just drop me a few words to let me know what you thought; I always reply to everyone. Also, if you wanna scream about YOI on Tumblr, I'm funny-little-owl there as well.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed Santorini and see you next time in the Caribbean!


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